New Emergency Response Computer System Announced

U.S. scientists have created a computer architecture that enables the secure transmission of information to first responders during emergencies.

Princeton University researchers said the architecture allows the transmission of sensitive information during such instances as natural disasters, fires or terrorist attacks.

The system — called a transient-trust — prevents the information from being intercepted by others and access stops as soon as the recipient no longer has need for it. Data provided on a transient-trust basis might include floor plans of a building, medical information about occupants or satellite maps of a given area.

The study, led by Professor Ruby Lee, was presented in Alexandria, Va., during a conference last month held by the Association for Computing Machinery Computer and Communications Security.

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U.S. waited 5 years to heed expert’s warning on ‘man down’ alarms

This is an excellent article published earlier in the year by MSNBC that seems to have missed main stream fire media. It was sent to us by a firefighter who’s friend was concerned and disturbed about what he had read. It’s regarding the ineffectiveness of PASS alarms.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16890732/from/ET/

For most of us who have been in the Fire Service for a while, I think this comes as no big surprise. I know my biggest complaint about them is that any any given fire scene, you can hear a number of them sounding at any given time from firefighters who are resting or who put down their airpacks and left them unattended. There has to be a better way. What do you think?

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Virtual fire, real training

Simulator to help teach emergency responders

PROVO — Gray smoke wafted through the tiles of the kitchen ceiling and flames licked the side of a toaster on the counter of a suburban home.

“I’m going to put some water on this,” said Dennis Goudy, program manager for a new Command Training Center as he watched the fire, a simulation made using CommandSim software, attack the virtual house on his computer screen.

In response to his “action,” the fire slowly died.

Goudy played the part of “Engine Four” during a demonstration Monday of the software, which can simulate a variety of emergencies ranging from a terrorist attack on a power plant to a multiple vehicle automobile crash.

Starting next week, the Command Training Center, which is housed at the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy in Provo, will use the software to train fire fighters, law-enforcement commanders and emergency medical crews using virtual world experiences.

While the training center has about a dozen virtual scenarios, Goudy said designing new templates is simple. The first template, the house fire used during Monday’s demonstration, took about 50 hours to build.

“We can put together anything we can envision,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

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New First Responder Training DVD Available from Chlorine Institute

Arlington, VA (May 18, 2007) — The Chlorine Institute (CI) is pleased to announce the completion and availability of a new training DVD for first responders. The Institute undertook this project after identifying a need to improve awareness and preparation for the initial response to a chlorine emergency. This project is directly aligned with the Institute’s core mission of promoting chlorine safety. We expect this DVD to be a valuable resource in helping first- responders prepare for the initial response to any chemical emergency, in particular one in which chlorine might be involved.

Chlorine is an essential and prevalent part of our daily lives. It is widely used for a variety applications including the treatment of clean drinking water, the production of building materials and most pharmaceuticals. Read the rest of this entry »

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House Panel Doubles SAFER Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger issued this statement today on a House subcommittee’s decision to double funding for the SAFER Act:

“The House did the right thing by doubling funding for the SAFER Act. An estimated two-thirds of all jurisdictions currently do not meet safe staffing levels, and this funding will help address that problem,” Schaitberger said.

The bill provides $230 million for the SAFER Act in fiscal 2008, twice the $115 million allocated for fiscal 2007. The bill also boosts FIRE Act grants by $23 million over current funding levels to $570 million for fiscal 2008.
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